The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1887-10-06
Bananas all the Year.

A steamer unloading 10, 900 punches
of bananas in New York. A stevadore
mounted on the deck, giving out or
ders to hundred longshoremen VIII
stand in lines and pass the punches of
fruit from the hold of the vessel to
waiting trucks. Such was the scene a
reporter beheld on adowntown wharf.
1.-Two million punches of bananas
come into this port alone every year
now" said the importer. "Pre vious
to 1884 there were not near so many.
Schooners were employed. and they
took six weeks to make g. trip, car.
ried $500 punches. and lost quarter
of them on account of the length of
time afoat and the damage by salt
water. Now we have regular lines OF
steamers that carry four or fine times
as much fruit, and make such quick
trips that there is practically no loss
of iruit."
Where do the bananas come from?"
"Well, the reds, which appear to be
he favorites, come from Baracoa,
Cuba. We get from 3O.0 600 to 40, QUO
punches of them week during
August, but less now that peaches are
in market. The yellow ones come from
Jamaica, Panama, Costa Rica and
Nicaragua. There are some bananas
produced in Florida, but the home
demand prevents any coming here. 1t
will not be long before the red banan-
as will be very scare, as the Cuban
plaaters are replacing them with the
yellow Slips from Jamaica. The
cause of this is that the yellow pro-
duce punches averaging from 81 to
1925, while the red will not average
more than one dollar and a half a
bunch"
"How do bananas grown
On immense plantations, laid of in.
to rows of trees about eight feet apart
each way. The trunk of d banana
tree is composed of the stems of leaves
and grows from fifteen to twenty feet
high. When the fruiting begins. bud
appears at the top ofthe stem and de-
velops into q bunch OF bananas.
When the fruit is gathered the tree is
cut down and left to decay. and new
sprouts start up from the same root,
and thus the crop is continually re-
newed. There are about 700 trees to
the acre, and each one produces one
bunch OF fruit. New plantations are
started by setting out young sprouts
about two feet high. The gathering
of the bananas differ. In Central
America the native Indians are en-
ployed, They cut the tree with a
machete until it, bends over so as to
bring the bunch within reach. It Is
then cut of and carried on the backs
of the men down to the ships which
run up the rivers. The loadingis usual
ly done by forming line and passing
the punches from hand to hand.
This is not very pleasant
work, as the punches oft.
en- contain scorpions, tarantulas,
centipedes and other venomous ia.
sects that get shaken out of the
punches as they are passed and bite
the handler. In Jamaica the negro
women are used to load the fruit, and
in.Cuba both negros and half breeds
are employed. In the hold OF the YES.
sci the bananas are placed in bins
holding several hundred punches each,
and arranged to admit all of the air
possible. The ventilationies so import.
ant that large canvas tunnels called
wind sails are fixed on the deck so
as to catch the wind and carry it down
into the hold In winter much care is
necessary to prevent the cargo from
freezing on the voyage or while unload.
ing. Bananas are almost the only
fruit that is always In season. They
arrive ct this port every month in the
year. During the poorest months In
midwinter we receive 20, 900 punches,
and in summer tho number frequently
reaches $4,000 bunches."